| Onychocerus albitarsis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Cerambycidae |
| Genus: | Onychocerus |
| Species: | O. albitarsis |
| Binomial name | |
| Onychocerus albitarsis | |
Onychocerus albitarsis, also known as the scorpion beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae from the Amazon and Atlantic forest regions in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Peru. [2] [3] [4] It is the only known beetle that has a venomous sting (as opposed to spraying toxins like bombardier beetles or secreting toxins from the body like blister beetles) and the only known arthropod that stings with its antennae. [2] [3] Each antenna ends in a stinger that resembles a scorpion's tail and is connected to a venom gland. [2] [3] The scorpion beetle's sting was known for centuries, being reported as early as 1884, but was not confirmed to be venomous until 2005. [3] In one case of the beetle stinging a human, a woman experienced significant pain directly after the incident, and redness and itching at the sting site that lasted for a week. In the other case, a man experienced moderate pain directly after being stung and redness that only lasted for an hour. [2] The other species in the genus Onychocerus appear to be non-venomous, since they lack the structures inside the antennae that are associated with the venom apparatus of Onychocerus albitarsis. [3]
Onychocerus albitarsis has a head-and-body that is about 2 cm (0.8 in) long and has a variable mottled pattern in yellow-brown, black and white. Little is known about its behavior, but it is phytophagous. [2]